Musical mashups often produce unexpectedly interesting results. The fusion of contrasting artists and genres can make for some pretty special compositions. Los Angeles-based artist (and United States Air Force Staff Sergeant) Corban Lundborg, also known as COLD, recently explored this concept visually after being commissioned to create artwork inspired by vinyl (hence the 12″ square design). Lundborg draws inspiration from both arresting and iconic vinyl logos, and his love of hip-hop. His series VINYL features hip-hop legends adorned with classic rock logos, and the result is terrific. But Lundborg doesn’t just haphazardly create these combos… his process seems much more thoughtful than that. Take “West Side of the Moon” for instance. Perhaps the strongest of the bunch, Lundborg places Pink Floyd’s famous Dark Side of the Moon logo over Tupac’s third eye, “inspired by his revolutionary message and social maturity. The refracting of light occurs when a wave enters a medium where its speed is different, and Tupac approached the music industry at an unmatched momentum.” Lundborg’s work, too, embodies a rebellious spirit that we really admire. His clear creative talent paired with his contemplative approach is a recipe for success. And we wish nothing but the best for this brilliant young artist’s future.

Prepare to have your mind blown as we dive into a sea of celebrity mashups. German digital artist and Photoshop whiz simply known as Gesichtermix is a master of photo manipulation. We’re not talking Franken-celebrities here. His careful attention to detail, and keen eye for creating very believable composites of two highly recognizable faces is impressive, to say the least. As a viewer, part of the fun is instantly recognizing one of the celebrities, as the features of the second begin to emerge. We must admit, we could stare at these all day. Try it for yourself… can you guess the pairings? Answers below, but no cheating!

Most 20-somethings use social media to simply keep up with friends and publicize their weekend exploits. But young Italian artist Atena Neezy takes to Facebook and Instagram to showcase her stellar pencil portraiture. Neezy also posts time-lapse process videos on YouTube that are simply amazing. What a terrific use of social media to disseminate one’s art. The social media-minded Neezy even manages to get some of her work into the hands of her famous subjects, and posts photos. What’s notable about Neezy is not only her incredible artistic talent — achieving photo-realistic likenesses with little more than some pencil lead and her keen eye — but also her savvy approach to promoting her work. We’re actually surprised that she doesn’t have a larger following. In time, we’re sure.

Australian artist Guy Whitby, otherwise known as WorkByKnight (or WBK) has a terrific eye for mosaic compositions, which (and we know from experience) is much more difficult and time consuming than it looks. These pixelated portraits are deceivingly complex, and serve as visual commentary for the global shift from analog to digital. Each piece is made up of a variety of computer keys, along with analog and digital buttons. WBK meticulously places each button and key to serve as a pixel, if you will. Though subjects vary, from celebrities and artists to musicians and political figures, to his most recent “Old School Tech” series of still life technological treasures, the quality of this remarkable work never falters. Truly amazing how strategic color choice and placement make otherwise analogous objects and shapes into something cohesive, and more importantly, recognizable.

Typography geeks everywhere (including ourselves) are applauding (or should be applauding) Canadian designer/art director Sean Williams for a job well done on his growing series of musical artist portraits made entirely of lyrics and song titles. Many have tried, but we’re not sure any attempts are nearly as successful as these conceptually strong, brilliantly executed pieces. Williams masterfully warps typographic forms to create instantly recognizable faces of some of the biggest players in music today. What an amazing tribute by a super talented designer… hats off to him. Williams has even begun branching out beyond music; the possibilities are endless. Merchandise available here.

Okay, so maybe we’re late to the party, but this mashup of rappers and cereal is one of our favorite Tumblr finds in a while. Tampa-based freelance art director/designer Brittany Meronek maintains this fantastic blog. Check out some of our favorites below. And be sure to check the blog often for new posts. You may even see a contribution from Barbour one day….